Dark Affections - Illusionshipping
by FizzyPumpkin
Summary: Can you learn to love a monster? Mai's discovers a feeling that she never knew she had after a stranger encounter with a man whom she had previously despised. [Mai X Yami Marik]


The streets of Domino had never been the friendliest of places, especially at night. The city had attracted many over-competitive people after Battle City had begun since most only joined for the fame rather than a bit of fun. Naturally, Domino City had become more of a battleground than an everyday place to live. Even after the tournament ended there was still a buzz in the air thanks to KaibaCorp's new technology. Duels were raging out all over the place for the duelists who wanted rare cards and to show off their skills (despite often being mediocre at best). Of course, the true nature of duelling was only known to a select few and most would just brush it off as a mere game. KaibaCorp had to try its hardest the cover up the incidents that occurred from the tournaments seeing as how four people fell into a coma during the finals.

Yet even though all the insanity had finally died down after the tournament ended, people were still getting hurt over other things. Crime had become much more of a problem since the city was gripped with the duelling craze. It was no 'fate of the world' madness but injuries were still fairly common. An example occurred late at night down one of the many alleyways that were littered through the city. A silent breeze was gliding through the cold air and it was clear that Winter was on its way. The sky was cloudy, making the night much darker than usual.

Whether you're physically strong or even an athlete, you're in trouble when it's just you against several other people. The man in question was no stranger to encounters such as these. He'd brought countless victims to their knees before but only in his own way. When it came to physical fights, he definitely had the strength for them but even he couldn't take on about seven people at once. His tanned skin was bruised and bleeding as he sat up against the brick wall. The pain didn't seem to phase him despite the fact that he'd clearly take a fair beating from the attackers. They'd already left with the small amount of money he had in his pockets that he probably didn't need anyway. He pulled himself upright but made no effort to stand up. No one was around to see him like this so why make the effort? Even so, he knew that no one would dare approach him anyway. The man wiped away a small droplet of blood that was slowly trickling down his face and stared at the wall.

"How the mighty have fallen…"

His smoked indigo eyes flickered over to the side. He figured that _she'd _have noticed by now. After all, he hadn't been making too much of an effort to stay quiet.

"I could say the same thing to you, my dear" he smirked.

The figure of Mai Kujaku stood firmly near the end of the long alleyway, leaning against the wall with folded arms. A look of distrust fell across her face which was odd since most would expect her to be cowering in fear. After all, her last encounter with the psychopath wasn't exactly the most pleasant experience.

"You were following me, Marik" she said soundly.

Marik finally pulled himself to his feet. He didn't make any effort to hide the fact that he was injured. There was no point. Mai must of overheard the previous attack. Marik figured that she's gone through this part of Domino just so he'd get mugged by the many gangs that seemed to haunt the streets at this time of night. Maybe she was smarter than Marik had given her credit for.

"You heard me eh?"

Marik was wearing the same eerie grin that he always did despite looking as if he could collapse at any minute.

"Of course I have, you've been following me home for the past few days. You're terrible at staying quiet you know" Mai replied suspiciously.

Mai's car had broken down about a week ago so she'd been walking everywhere. She'd noticed that she was being followed on the first night that Marik had tried. No, following wasn't the word. He'd been stalking her. The first few times Mai had panicked over the whole situation. This was the man whom she despised more than anyone she'd ever met. Even more so than Jean-Claude Magnum who she'd probably pay to see rot in a hole. Although, it wasn't really surprising. He'd brought the woman to the brink of death. Mai had spent weeks trying to regain her confidence and the recurring nightmare of the hourglass hadn't exactly helped. Yet, there had always been a very strange feeling that came along with the anxiety that she'd felt. She was unsure as to what exactly it was but it had been eating away at her brain ever since she'd awoken from her coma.

Marik's strength had finally returned as he was able to stand up properly without the need to push against the wall. Half of his body was illuminated by a nearby streetlamp whilst the rest of him was shrouded in shadows. It looked like something out of a horror film in the way he stared at Mai with a strange confidence even though he was still recovering from the previous incident. Mai might have been a strong opponent, but Marik knew that he still wielded a sort of dominance over her. It seemed as if both of them were aware of it.

"Well, maybe I wanted you to hear me. It wouldn't have been any fun at all if you didn't notice me…"

Mai rolled her eyes. She knew where this was going far too well for her own good. There was a voice at the back of her mind telling her to stop talking to this demon and just get out of there. She ignored it however. She felt oddly curious towards Marik as if there was something a bit more to him than just the eccentric sadist that he'd always been.

"Why do you even care about following me of all people? Why not take your bullshit problems to someone who actually gives a crap?" Mai answered, agitated.

Mai had been dealing with this for a few days now and she was determined to get it sorted out. Marik's grudge had never been against her. She just happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Well someone's in a foul mood today…" Marik replied, not even seeming to realise the sudden outburst.

"No. Really?" Mai answered sarcastically.

Mai turned away from him and stared towards the exit of the alley. The entire set-up felt like she was choosing between going to Heaven and Hell. The streetlights by the distant road felt all too tempting when compared to the dark side that Marik was standing in. Marik glanced towards the exit, thinking that Mai was considering making a run for it. He took a few steps over in Mai's direction and gradually eased forwards.

"You and the dog had a little argument earlier didn't you?"

Mai froze. He'd been watching her _that _long? She'd fallen out with Jonouchi earlier on before she started heading home. It was mostly thanks to Jou saying things that he didn't actually mean and, as usual, being oblivious to the consequences.

"What's it to you?" she spat, still facing away.

Marik continued to edge forwards. He'd hit a sore spot. He was fully aware of their pathetic romance and how it was clearly never going to work out. That was one of the driving points for putting Mai in a coma in the first place. He found the star-crossed romance rather amusing to watch.

"That's why you're here, isn't it?"

Mai turned her head towards him slightly.

"What do you mean?"

She hadn't realised that Marik was standing right behind her at this point. Mai felt as if she was in serious danger yet she still had no intention of leaving. She was starting to understand what that awkward feeling she'd had before was as his presence seemed to smother her.

"We're a lot alike, aren't we? Both of us have taken the rogue path in life."

Mai turned away again. Her blonde locks were gently swaying in the cold breeze that pushed past them. Everything suddenly felt much quieter than before aside from the occasional car in the distance.

"At least I'm no monster" she retorted.

Marik's eyes narrowed at the remark. Barely giving it a second thought, he quickly grabbed Mai's wrist and violently span her around, shoving her up against the wall with her hand over her head. A sudden cry of pain leaped out from between Mai's lips. No one would hear her though, given the time of night it was. As she recovered from the shock of what just happened, she noticed an expression on Marik's face that she'd never seen before. He didn't appear overly confident or insane-looking, but angry. Just plain-old anger. It was subtle, he wasn't too enraged, but he did appear threatening. Mai stood silently and stared in horror. Marik spotted Mai's change in mood and her obvious regret for what she said and relaxed slightly. His sadistic smile soon returned and his anger subsided. Mai managed to calm herself and felt more annoyed than anything. She was the kind of person who could manipulate anyone if she tried, except one of course.

"You need to relax, my dear. Let me help you…"

Marik's voiced had lowered much more than usual. His voice was gravelly enough without any sort of emphasis. Mai could feel her skin crawling at the mere sound of it. Yet it almost sounded as if Marik was asking permission for something seeing as how he continued to gaze at the blonde. Mai glanced towards the end of the alleyway. The lights were comforting, yet she strangely felt as if the darkness surrounding the two was much safer. She knew exactly what this man was capable of but she didn't feel as if she was in danger. Perhaps it was true what he had said before. Maybe they were similar. Perhaps they could get along if they tried.

A million thoughts raced through the woman's mind. What would her friends think if they found out? What was this do to her reputation? Surprisingly, it didn't matter. She didn't care anymore. This is exactly the kind of progress that part of her had always longed for. Her entire body felt weak but she didn't resist. She sighed heavily before nodding quietly in agreement and closing her eyes. Marik smiled maliciously and moved in. The kiss that followed felt forced and guilt-tripped. It didn't matter to either of them. Marik gently bit down on Mai's lips as he pressed his body up against hers. Mai was shivering slightly. Despite what most others thought, she wasn't experienced at all with this. She'd never been able to truly develop a relationship with anyone due to her stubborn nature. Even thought most though otherwise, she was a virgin. Marik's hand found its way into Mai's hair and he twirled a strand of it around his finger. His other hand crawled down her waist before swiftly sneaking under her top. Mai felt weak to the man's touch but she continued to want more of it. This went against everything she'd ever thought about herself in the past. She'd never even thought about being lead along like this. This would utterly destroy her reputation amongst her friends but she just couldn't bring herself to care.

She felt Marik's lips easing away from her. She subconsciously pushed herself towards him, desperately wanting more. Marik simply pushed her chin upwards so that their eyes met, grinning lustfully.

"Not just yet my dear, we'll go back to my place first…"

He moved a way in an agonisingly slow pace and began to casually wander towards the darkness. Mai, breathing heavily, glanced towards to lighter end one more time. She knew she was making a mistake here, but she ignored it and followed the monster down the thin pathway.


End file.
